


Who You Want Me To Be

by iamtheenemy (Steph)



Category: HIStory3 - 圈套 | HIStory3: Trapped (TV)
Genre: AU After The Massage, But Like Have You Watched The Show?, Date Rape Drug/Roofies, Don't try this at home kids, First Time, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Incorrect and/or Inadvisable Police Practices, M/M, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Protective Tang Yi, Sexual Tension, Shao Fei Goes Undercover To Catch A Serial Killer, Shao Fei the Honey Trap, non-graphic, takes place mid-canon, undercover at a gay bar
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-15
Updated: 2020-07-22
Packaged: 2021-03-04 20:54:05
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 10,331
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25292752
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Steph/pseuds/iamtheenemy
Summary: “You’re finally getting your wish. I’m leaving you alone.” Shao Fei waved a finger in his face. “But don’t get too excited. I’ll be back in a couple of days.”“You’re going to help them look for whoever’s murdered those men,” Tang Yi surmised.“A serial killer here in New Taipei City,” Shao Fei said. “It’s my duty.”“Your duty,” Tang Yi replied mockingly. “They’re using you as bait.”Set in the time after The Massage but before Shao Fei gets shot. There's a serial killer in town.
Relationships: Jack | Fang Liangdian/Zhao Li'an | Zhao-zi, Meng Shaofei/Tang Yi
Comments: 23
Kudos: 463





	1. CHAPTER ONE

**Author's Note:**

> I love first time fic, and so I've kind of become obsessed with this brief window of time on the show where things Got Weird between Tang Yi and Shao Fei, but before Shao Fei kissed him. I'm making my way through writing another fic that takes place during that time as well, so I might end up just making it a series of unrelated stories. 
> 
> This story gets a little dark, but nothing too bad, and most of the violence is off-screen. Still, heed the tags, friends.

The first death barely pinged Shao Fei’s radar. A man in his early 30s found naked and strangled to death in a dumpster. Unfortunate, but it wasn’t Team Three’s case, and Shao Fei had plenty to worry about protecting Tang Yi.

The second victim, another man around the same age, killed in the same way and found in another dumpster a few miles from the first, caught Shao Fei’s attention. He called into the station to get the details of the case and discovered that Team 4 were handling it. Their senior officer, Lui Hachi, was an old friend of Shao Fei’s. They’d come up in the academy and did their time as newbies together.

He called her for more information and discovered things that the press didn’t know. Both victims were gay and both had been last seen at bars near the two different dump sites. Both had been sexually assaulted before they died. Based on the coroners’ reports, the second victim they found had actually been dead longer than the first.

As Shao Fei suspected, Hachi believed it was the same killer both times, and she feared that there would be more victims.

He was sitting across from Tang Yi on the couch idly watching the nightly news when he learned about the third victim. Another body found in another dumpster. Three victims meant that there was officially a serial killer terrorizing New Taipei City.

Shao Fei leaned forward, eager to hear if there were any new details, and that’s when, for the first time, pictures of the three victims were made public. Side by side photographs appeared on the screen, and Shao Fei sucked in a surprised breath. He fumbled for the remote control on the table and paused the image.

Tang Yi looked up from his laptop, interrupted by Shao Fei’s reaction. “Officer Meng?”

Shao Fei didn’t respond, he kept staring at the frozen photos. Those three men, they were all skinny, short, and relatively good looking. The one in the middle even had ears that stuck out, just like Shao Fei.

“What?” Tang Yi asked curiously, looking back and forth between the screen and Shao Fei.

“Excuse me,” Shao Fei said as he pulled out his cell phone. He clicked Hachi’s name from his recent call list and drummed on the armrest of the couch as he waited for her to answer.

“Ah Fei, I’m really busy,” she said, foregoing a greeting.

“Hachi, I saw pictures of the three victims on the news,” Shao Fei replied.

There was the sound of papers rummaging around, and Shao Fei imagined her at her desk looking at the photos herself. If she was anything like him, they were all she’d been looking at for the past ten days.

“Yeah, we got permission from the families to release…” She paused and then said, “Oh shit.’

“I know,” Shao Fei replied.

“Please tell me you’re calling to offer to go undercover,” she said.

“Have you pinpointed any places he might hit next?” Shao Fei asked.

“My guys have triangulated his location based on the victims’ last known whereabouts, and we’ve got some good ideas. There’s two other gay bars in the radius. We think one is more likely than the other.”

Shao Fei jumped off the couch, the phone up to his ear, and walked into the guest room he’d been staying in. He grabbed his workout bag and stuffed any essentials he could find into it.

“Can you clear it with the brass?” he asked.

Hachi snorted. “Are you kidding? The Chief is desperate to catch this guy. The bad press is killing us. I’ve got unlimited resources.”

“In that case, see if you could pull Zhao Zi too,” he said. “He’s the best tech we’ve got.”

“Done,” she agreed. “Come by the station, and I’ll brief you on everything you need to know. And Ah Fei, thank you. Now we’re even after the Yang bust back in 2014.”

“Are you an elephant? Why is your memory so long?” he asked.

“Getting shot is the kind of thing that sticks with you,” she said. “Anyway, I’ll be at my desk all night, but get here as soon as you can.”

“I’m on my way.”

He hung up the phone and grabbed his jacket off of the dresser where he’d dropped it earlier that day. He hated to leave his post guarding Tang Yi, but he, Meng Shao Fei, had made an oath to protect his city. An active serial killer took precedence. Shao Fei had already upgraded Tang Yi’s security system, and he knew from his schedule that he had no meetings set up for the next two days at least. Plus, Tang Yi wasn’t exactly without protection in his giant, gated mansion.

Shao Fei opened the door to the guest room and jumped when Tang Yi was right on the other side.

“Tang Yi,” he said, startled. He moved around the man’s imposing form and headed to the bathroom for his toiletries.

“Where are you going?” Tang Yi asked.

“You’re finally getting your wish. I’m leaving you alone.” Shao Fei waved a finger in his face. “But don’t get too excited. I’ll be back in a couple of days.”

“You’re going to help them look for whoever’s killed those men,” Tang Yi surmised.

“A serial killer here in New Taipei City,” Shao Fei said. “It’s my duty.”

“Your duty,” Tang Yi replied mockingly. “They’re using you as bait.”

“No,” Shao Fei replied. “I’m offering myself as bait. Did you see those three victims? We could be brothers. How lucky is that?”

“Lucky,” Tang Yi muttered darkly.

“What’s wrong with you?” Shao Fei asked. He stopped walking and looked at him, head tilted in consideration. “Are you worried about your protection detail? You don’t have to be. I’ll make sure that a patrol comes around every hour. Just stay inside as much as you can until I get back.”

He took the stairs down two at a time with Tang Yi right behind him.

“I see my safety is only important to you until a more interesting case comes along,” he said.

Shao Fei gave an incredulous laugh. “Tang Yi, what’s all this? Yesterday you told me you didn’t need my help. Now you’re angry that I’m leaving? You’ve certainly had a change of heart.”

His keys were hung beside the door. He grabbed them and shoved them in his pocket and then gathered his boots.

He had both on and was tying the left one when the front door opened and Jack and Li Zhi De strolled in.

Jack saw Shao Fei getting ready and asked, “You going somewhere, Boss?”

“No, just me,” Shao Fei answered for Tang Yi. “I’ll be back in a few days. Keep an eye on him, will you, Jack?”

He made a point not to direct the order at Li Zhi De as well, since he’d prefer for that creep to stay as far away from Tang Yi as possible.

His phone rang and Shao Fei looked down to see it was Zhao Zi calling.

“Zhao Zi,” he answered. “Did Liu Hachi get in touch with you?”

“With the Chief,” Zhao Zi said. “Senior Liu told him that you’re joining their operation and you requested I did too. He wasn’t happy.”

“Sorry if I got you in trouble, but you’re the only one I trust. It might be dangerous, but I’ll make sure you stay out of the thick of it,” Shao Fei promised.

“Ah Fei!” Zhao Zi cried, sounding annoyed. “I’m a police officer. It’s my job to do dangerous things!”

Shao Fei didn’t bother to say that they both knew technology and research were Zhao Zi’s specialty, not field work.

“Okay, okay,” he said. “Are you on your way to the station?”

“Yes, I’m getting in my car right now.”

“I’m leaving too. See you in fifteen minutes.” Shao Fei hung up and gestured at the men listening to his half of the conversation. “Don’t do anything stupid! None of you are allowed to die until I find out what happened to Sister Li Zhen!”

* * *

Even though it was well after ten when Shao Fei arrived, the station was buzzing with activity. The anxiety was palpable as he walked through the main double doors of the building. Officers and staff rushed past in wrinkled clothing and red-rimmed eyes. The whole place smelled like sweat and stale coffee.

Zhao Zi, who had arrived before Shao Fei, texted to tell him that they were gathering in the second floor meeting room. He took the stairs instead of the elevator to work out some of his nervous energy and walked into a room full of grim faces.

“He has to be the honey trap,” one of them said, gesturing at Shao Fei as he sat down in an empty seat.

“Yes. Everyone, this is Officer Meng, the senior officer from Team Three. He’s volunteered to assist us tomorrow night,” Hachi responded. Shao Fei gave the room a subdued nod. “As you can see, physically he is extremely similar to our three victims, which should be a big help in trying to lure this scumbag out. Officer Chu, if you want to give us the briefing.”

A tall, severe man stood up and walked to the screen set up on one white wall. With a small remote control, he moved through a presentation of all the information they had on the suspect.

“We’re looking for a male, between the ages 30 and 35.” A composite sketch was put on the screen. “According to witnesses, he’s around 185 centimeters tall, handsome, and physically fit. He’s also confident and seems to enjoy a challenge. The first victim was at the bar with his boyfriend and the third was there with a group of friends. Both times, the suspect was able to lure the victim into the alley without anyone noticing. It’s either charm or he’s somehow drugging them to make it easier. Probably some combination of both. A witness in the third case claims the man had a tattoo of a snake on one arm.”

Another sketch, this one of the tattoo winding around a male forearm.

When Chu finished, Hachi stood back up and addressed the room. “Everyone involved in the op make sure to look over the files you all received tonight. We meet back here at eight tomorrow evening.”

* * *

Shao Fei leaned against the smooth, lacquered wood of the bar, trying to look as appealing as possible wearing the outfit they’d provided him. The dark red muscle shirt, the kind a body builder would wear to show off his chest and abs, was two sizes too large. The neckline gaped so low that his nipples almost showed and the already deeply-cut arm holes dipped down to display his ribs. Meanwhile, the black jeans were two sizes too small and ripped in strategic places, making his legs look even skinnier than usual. At least they let him wear his own black boots. The look was completed with a generous handful of gel just to style his hair to look the way it did when he woke up every morning. The first time he'd glanced in the mirror back at the station, he almost missed the cartoon frog sweater.

The officers who picked out the clothes for him assured him that they would suit the suspect’s taste, so he didn’t complain too much. But if there was any doubt that the guy was a psycho, this confirmed it.

The tumbler in his hand contained only Coke, but he sipped it as if it was something stronger and listened to the steady patter of the other officers providing updates from their various positions around the bar.

“ _Nothing on the south end_ ,” a male voice said in his ear piece. Shao Fei couldn’t recognize any voice except for Hachi and Zhao Zi, and so he didn’t bother trying.

They were more than two hours into the mission, and the bartender was starting to send Shao Fei some weird looks. It made sense, considering that Shao Fei hadn’t moved from his conspicuous spot at the end of the bar since he’d arrived, and he’d turned down the handful of men who tried to approach him.

He brought the straw to his lips and took in his surroundings, searching for anyone who fit the description he’d been given. Unfortunately, this bar wasn’t exactly short on handsome men, so it was hard to know what he was looking for.

The quiet double click of static in his earpiece meant that Zhao Zi, monitoring him from somewhere in the crowd of people, had opened a private connection.

“ _Um, Ah Fei, on your right_ ,” Zhao Zi said.

Shao Fei turned casually to try and figure out who his partner had pinpointed, but instead of a stranger, he came face to face with Tang Yi, wearing one of his impeccable suits.

“ _Oh! Hi, Jack!_ ” Shao Fei heard Zhao Zi say in his ear before the connection cut off.

Shao Fei coughed as his drink went down the wrong pipe and gaped at the man who was steadily making his way to Shao Fei, either unaware or unconcerned with the appreciative stares left in his wake.

What? _What?_ Aside from everything else, Shao Fei had _told_ Tang Yi not to do anything stupid, and yet here he was barging in on Shao Fei’s operation to try and catch a _serial killer_. When this was done, Shao Fei was going to kill him himself and cut out the middle man. He tried to convey that with his expression, but whatever Tang Yi read in it only made his mouth tilt up.

Shao Fei balled his hands into fists to keep himself from...he didn’t know what. Throwing his drink? Dragging Tang Yi out of there by his offensively expensive silk tie? This reckless idiot, how was he not dead already?

Tang Yi somehow fit himself into the meter of space beside Shao Fei, so close that his arm brushed against Shao Fei’s chest. But he didn’t acknowledge Shao Fei at all. He flagged down the bartender and ordered a drink as if this was all completely normal.

“Tang Yi!” Shao Fei hissed. “Why the hell are you here?”

Tang Yi turned and leaned his back against the bar, propping his elbows on the top and slanting Shao Fei an innocent look.

“I wanted a drink,” he answered.

“And you picked this bar to have it in? Look at you, are you trying to sabotage our whole operation?” Shao Fei asked accusingly. “Everyone is staring at you.”

Tang Yi gave himself a once over and then asked, “What about me?”

Shao Fei narrowed his eyes. “I don’t have time to stroke your ego. You know what you look like. I couldn’t count the number of people I’ve seen throw themselves at you over the years.”

“Jealous?” Tang Yi asked and Shao Fei bristled.

“Jealous? I...no…” he stammered. Well, he wasn’t jealous _right then_ , but the last few weeks had made him re-examine a lot of their interactions from over the years. That was a thought for a different time though. “I’m not jealous,” he repeated firmly. “Tang Yi, I’m _mad_. We’re trying to…” He cut himself off, mindful of any potentially prying ears. Shouting _we’re trying to catch a serial killer!_ in the middle of the bar wouldn’t help his mission. He was just glad that his earpiece wasn’t transmitting this conversation to his colleagues.

“I haven’t been standing here for hours in this ridiculous outfit to come away empty handed.” He turned to one side and then the other, showing off his poorly-fitted shirt. “I mean, can you believe this thing?”

“Hmm,” Tang Yi replied.

Then before he could react, Shao Fei had his back pressed against the bar and Tang Yi looming over him. His attention was so caught on the sudden movement that he nearly hit the ceiling when one of Tang Yi’s big hands slid inside the low-hanging hem of his sleeve and palmed the skin of Shao Fei’s waist. The other hand went up under the shirt to rest on Shao Fei’s hip. His index finger hooked onto a belt loop.

“Tang Yi!” Shao Fei cried. He could feel how wide his eyes were and his heart hammered wildly in his chest. “What are you doing?”

“What this shirt is telling me to,” Tang Yi replied. With a deliberate motion, he stroked up Shao Fei’s side until his finger tips grazed the edge of one pec muscle.

Shao Fei shivered at the light touch, an embarrassing and unconscious reaction that was impossible for Tang Yi to miss.

“Stop it. Enough,” Shao Fei said. He tried to push him away, but Tang Yi was several centimeters taller than him and a solid wall of muscle. Plus, the awkward way he had Shao Fei leaning against the bar took away all of his leverage. The most he could manage was a rough knock to Tang Yi’s shoulders. “I’m in the middle of something really important and there are _people_ everywhere.”

His people, specifically, who were so far trusting his judgment and staying back to let him control the situation, but who knew how long that would continue if it looked like Tang Yi was harassing him.

“Are those your only objections?” Tang Yi asked.

"I...I...What are you...?" Shao Fei stuttered. He was sick of Tang Yi's cockiness and trying to deal with this suffocating tension between them. It made it impossible for him to focus and actually do his job.

“Get out of here,” he said.

“I think he asked you to leave him alone.”

Tang Yi and Shao Fei both froze at the sound of another voice. When Shao Fei turned, he saw a man about Tang Yi’s height standing there with his arms folded in front of his chest. He had short, neat hair and a strong build.

“ _Ah Fei, his right wrist,_ ” came Zhao Zi’s voice in his ear. Sure enough, peeking out from the sleeve of his shirt was a tattoo of a snake’s head.

Shao Fei felt his pulse kick up and the adrenaline flood his body. He gave Tang Yi a significant look and another push. This time, he backed off.

When the new man stepped into his space, Shao Fei took the moment to activate his end of the connection on his earpiece. He let instinct and improvisation carry him as he stepped forward and wrapped an arm around the new man’s waist.

“Yes,” he said. “This is my new boyfriend I was telling you about.” His eyes begged Tang Yi to play along, but the stranger took only a second to get with the program.

“Yeah,” he agreed. “So back the fuck off, or we’re going to have a problem.”

For a second, it looked like Tang Yi was actually considering taking the man up on his threat, and Shao Fei prepared himself to step in the middle and stop any fight from happening. But then Tang Yi raised his hands in surrender.

“I’m going,” he said, and with one more long look at Shao Fei, he turned away, blending into the crowd.

Shao Fei took a deep breath and made a show of embarrassingly removing his arm from around the man.

“Ah, sorry,” he said sheepishly. “Thanks for that.”

“ _Keep him talking, Shao Fei,_ ” Hachi’s calm voice said in his earpiece. “ _We’ve got your back._ ”

“No problem,” the man said. “Ex-boyfriend?”

“Yes,” Shao Fei lied.

“Is there really a new boyfriend?” he asked.

Shao Fei took a small sip from his Coke and put the glass down on the bar top. “No. I just said that to try and get him to leave me alone. Good thing you came along.”

“I’m Ben, by the way,” the stranger greeted, extending his hand for Shao Fei to shake. “Since we’re already dating.”

Shao Fei laughed. “Chen-Jui,” he replied. When they shook, he pretended to study the man’s wrist. “I like your tattoo.”

Ben -- though Shao Fei doubted that was his real name -- pushed his sleeve up to the elbow and revealed the whole, coiling length of it.

“A boa constrictor,” he said. “I’ve always been fascinated by them.”

Shao Fei swallowed, and something cold slithered through him as he remembered the way the victims had been choked to death, deep purple handprints left like brands around their throats. He was a little more than just fascinated by them, it seemed.

The bartender approached, and Shao Fei was glad to have Ben’s attention move off of him for the moment.

“What can I get you?” the bartender asked.

“Two more of whatever my friend is having,” he answered.

The bartender opened his mouth, likely to point out that it was only Coke in Shao Fei’s glass.

“Jack and Coke,” Shao Fei said before he could voice that thought out loud.

The bartender raised his eyebrows but got to work on the drink without contradicting him.

The two fresh drinks were ready a minute later, and Ben pulled them both across the bar.

Static hit Shao Fei’s ear, and then someone said, “ _He just dropped something into your drink. It was hidden in his palm._ ”

Shao Fei gave an inconspicuous nod to show he’d heard the information and then considered his options.

They could pick him up now, and with the evidence in Shao Fei’s glass, they’d have more than enough evidence to arrest him. But if he let this play out, the case would be open and shut. He trusted Zhao Zi and Hachi to keep him safe.

After a split second of thinking about it, Shao Fei picked up his glass and clinked it with Ben’s.

“Cheers,” he said and knocked the whole thing back in one gulp.

* * *

“ _Shao Fei, what the fuck did you do? I’m calling for a medical team to be onsite for after this is over. Agent Chu!_ ”

* * *

“Chen-Jui, it looks like you’re tired. Do you want me to take you home?”

Shao Fei nodded, his eyelids heavy and the world spinning.

* * *

“I’ve been waiting all night to get this fucking shirt off of you. Be a good boy and stay still for me.”

Shao Fei stumbled into something hard, a wall maybe. He was wet. Rain, it was raining. Was he outside? Rough hands grabbed at him and --

* * *

The feeling of hands around his throat, for a moment, jolted him to full consciousness. He started to fight, but didn’t get far before there was a commotion around him and then the hands were gone.

He slid down whatever hard surface was bracing his back, and would have hit the ground if someone didn’t reach out --

* * *

Shao Fei woke up to a world that was spinning and a head that felt like it was going to explode.

“Oh fuck,” he groaned. He tried to bring his hand up to cradle his head, but saw that there was an IV preventing the sharp movement. “Fuuuck.”

“That was incurably stupid.”

With effort, Shao Fei turned his head and saw Tang Yi sitting in a chair beside the hospital bed. His face looked like it was made of stone.

“Did they get him?” Shao Fei asked.

Just then, Doctor Jiang walked in the room holding a clipboard.

“Officer Meng, you’re awake. Tell me, do you make it a habit to ingest mystery pills given to you by suspected serial killers?” he asked in a pleasant tone as he checked the readouts on the machines he had Shao Fei hooked up to. “I’m just wondering because I was thinking about starting a weekly poker night with some friends, but I need to know if I’ll have the free time.”

Shao Fei didn’t even try to unpack the sarcasm. He just asked again, “Did they get him?”

“How should I know?” the doctor responded blithely.

Shao Fei growled in frustration and turned back to the man on the chair. “Tang Yi…”

Tang Yi ignored his question a second time and spoke to Doctor Jiang. “Well?”

“I’ll keep him overnight, but he just needs to sleep it off,” the doctor said.

“Fine,” Tang Yi responded and then stood up and walked out of the room without a backward glance at Shao Fei.

“Wait, Tang Yi!” Shao Fei shouted after him. “Did they get him? _Tang Yi_!”


	2. CHAPTER TWO: INTERLUDE (JACK/ZHAO ZI)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _A smile bloomed across Zhao Zi’s face, and he said, “Oh! Hi, Jack!” Then his eyes widened and he began to look around nervously._
> 
> _Jack stifled a grin and told him, “It’s not suspicious to see someone you know at a bar, Zhao Zi.”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had so much fun writing Zhao Zi, my charming angel. 
> 
> And look, if you wanted to read an intricately plotted case fic, you've come to the wrong place, but I hope you'll enjoy Jack and Zhao Zi flirting anyway.

It took almost no effort for Jack to find out which bar the police had targeted for their sting operation. Jack had heard about the murders that were rocking the city over the past month or so. Men found strangled to death and tossed in dumpsters.

When Jack heard that Zhao Zi would be involved, a pit formed in his stomach. Shorty may have been a police officer, but he had zero survival instincts and trusted people way too easily. And if Officer Meng resembled the previous victims, then Zhao Zi had to be a pretty good match as well. With his open, sunny smile and slight frame, he made a perfect target.

So the next night, Jack volunteered to go with Tang Yi to the bar to keep an eye out, though he left Officer Meng to Tang Yi’s...thorough...attention, and he focused on keeping shorty safe.

They spotted Officer Meng immediately. He occupied a prime spot sprawled along the front of the bar, clearly trying to stand out. And he was dressed...Well, he was dressed like a twink. Tang Yi’s eyes darkened at the sight of him. He left Jack alone by the door as he prowled towards his sworn enemy, who was almost certainly going to be his bed partner soon, if the hungry way they stared at each other was anything to go by.

Zhao Zi sat alone at a table about twenty meters from Shao Fei’s position. Unlike his senior, Zhao Zi wore an adorable and soft-looking gray sweater that was as out of place in a bar like this as a clown costume would have been. Jack adored him.

Zhao Zi fiddled with his cell phone, no doubt using it to monitor Officer Meng. His head was bowed, and as he got closer, Jack could see his lips moving.

Jack waited until he finished talking to bend down and catch his eye.

A smile bloomed across Zhao Zi’s face, and he said, “Oh! Hi, Jack!” Then his eyes widened and he began to look around nervously.

Jack stifled a grin and told him, “It’s not suspicious to see someone you know at a bar, Zhao Zi.”

Zhao Zi thought about that a moment and then he brightened. “That’s true! So what are you doing here?”

Jack sat down in the chair across from him and rested his chin on his hand, watching him and not even bothering to rein in his lovesick expression, since Zhao Zi didn’t seem to recognize it anyway. “We heard what you guys were up to tonight, and the boss wanted to see how things were going.”

“That’s probably not a good idea,” Zhao Zi said. He sucked on the straw in his orange drink. “It could be really dangerous.”

“Then I’ll be here to lend a hand,” Jack replied.

Zhao Zi’s back stiffened and he folded his arms across his chest. “Wait. Do _you_ think it’s too dangerous for me too, just like Ah Fei?” he demanded.

“No!” _Yes._ “I…” Jack wasn’t a violent person. He committed plenty of it, of course. It was part of the job, but he never got any enjoyment out of it. However, he knew in his bones that if someone ever harmed so much as a hair on Zhao Zi’s head, Jack would revel in pulling the teeth out of their mouth one by one.

“I’m a police officer!” Zhao Zi shouted, before remembering where he was and what he was doing. He lowered his voice to a whisper. “I’m a police officer. I’m trained for these situations. Plus, Ah Fei is like my older brother, and my grandma taught me that you protect family.”

 _I want to be your family_ , Jack thought fiercely.

“In fact, she said that she always knew she was safe with me there to look after her,” Zhao Zi told him proudly.

“I’m sure she was,” Jack agreed. In his head, he began to plan the next bento box he'd make for him.

“Hmm.” Zhao Zi stared at him, as if testing his sincerity.

“Which do you like better: chicken or pork?” Jack asked, both because he needed to know the answer and because he knew it would distract Zhao Zi.

As expected, at the mention of food, Zhao Zi’s face instantly transformed. “Both!” he declared with a cheeky grin.

“You…!” Jack lurched over the table to poke Zhao Zi’s stomach, making him laugh and twist away.

“It’s true!” he argued, pushing at Jack’s arm. Then he looked over Jack’s shoulder and frowned. “Hey, what is Tang Yi doing with Ah Fei? He shouldn’t mess with him like that!”

Jack turned around and saw Tang Yi bracketing Officer Meng against the bar. He snorted and turned away, mentally moving up the timeline for when those two were finally going to fuck each other. He wanted to be ready to run interference on Brother De. That jealous bastard was going to lose his mind.

“Don’t worry,” he promised Zhao Zi, “the boss protects his family too.”

“Yeah, but Tang Yi doesn’t even _like_ Ah Fei,” Zhao Zi replied.

 _Oh, Shorty_ , Jack thought fondly. He took a sip from Zhao Zi’s glass, unsurprised to find it was only orange juice.

“Can I tell you a secret?” Zhao Zi asked. He leaned forward and Jack did too, raising his eyebrows expectantly.

“Of course.”

“I think that Ah Fei has a crush on Tang Yi,” Zhao Zi said conspiratorially.

“Oh really?” Jack asked.

Zhao Zi nodded and then added, “You can’t tell anyone though.”

Jack glanced back at the two men at the bar. The flush on Officer Meng’s face was visible even from this distance and under the dim mood lighting. If that was his way of keeping a secret...

He returned his attention to Zhao Zi and mimed zipping his lips. But since Zhao Zi had already brought up relationships between two men, Jack decided to seize the opportunity.

“So,” he began, trying to think of a subtle way to ease into it. Jack wasn’t used to subtlety when it came to interrogations. He much preferred the more effective ‘break a finger then ask a question’ method -- unless the interrogation involved a tiny, handsome, gentle police officer who idolized his dead grandmother and had a bottomless stomach and a smile that made Jack’s heart flutter.

He cleared his throat and asked, “So, have you ever been to this kind of bar before?” It was as easy a way as any to test the waters.

Zhao Zi cocked his head and thought about it. “Do you mean…” He cut himself off, leaving Jack hanging in suspense, and stared at a man walking past their table. Zhao Zi tapped his earpiece. “I think I might have found him,” he said. Then he addressed Jack. “Stay here.”

Jack let Zhao Zi get three strides in before jumping out of his seat and following him.

As Jack watched, Zhao Zi caught up to the man and pretended to trip, knocking into him from behind.

“I’m so sorry!” Zhao Zi said.

The man wrapped a hand around Zhao Zi’s upper arm, as if to steady him. Then he grinned and when Jack saw it, every alarm bell inside of his brain started blaring, telling him to get Zhao Zi away as quickly as possible.

“No problem,” the man said. “What’s your…”

Jack arrived and threw an arm around Zhao Zi’s shoulders. “Did you find the bathroom?” he asked. Then he turned and gave the man his sharpest grin, the one he usually paired with the barrel of a gun. The man wisely retreated, and Jack wasted no time maneuvering Zhao Zi back to the table.

He expected anger from the other man, but instead, when he looked down at him, Zhao Zi just seemed relieved. Jack continued to hold him close, and Zhao Zi reached up and captured Jack’s wrist, his fingers digging in tightly. He brought the other hand up to his ear and tapped on the earpiece.

“Senior Liu, I’ve identified the suspect, and he’s approaching Shao Fei right now,” he said.

Then he tapped the earpiece two times and said, “Ah Fei, his right wrist.”

“What about his wrist?” Jack asked.

“That guy has the same tattoo that a witness described seeing. It’s a snake that goes all the way up his arm,” Zhao Zi explained. Then he held up one finger to quiet Jack while he clearly listened through his earpiece.

Since Jack couldn’t hear anything, he settled for watching from across the room. At some point, Tang Yi slunk away from Officer Meng, though Jack knew he wouldn’t go far. Then Officer Meng and the suspect talked and ordered more drinks from the bartender.

A few minutes later, Zhao Zi murmured to him, “One of the other officers says he saw the guy put something in Ah Fei’s drink.”

Then, as if on cue, Officer Meng drank the whole thing in one long gulp.

* * *

Twenty minutes later, Officer Meng had clearly begun to feel the effects of the drugs. By forty minutes, he was barely standing on his own. The man had his arm around Officer Meng’s waist and he was guiding him away from the bar.

“Where are they going?” Zhao Zi asked. “The door is the other way.”

“Back exit leads to the alley,” Jack answered. The boss had made Jack case the building earlier that day. “Come on.”

Zhao Zi relayed that information to the others as they pushed through the crowded dance floor. When they made their way outside, they were greeted by the sight of three other police officers brandishing guns and forming a semi-circle around Officer Meng, whose shirt was lying on the ground, and the other man, who had both hands around Officer Meng’s throat.

“Ah Fei!” Zhao Zi shouted as the man was ripped away from Officer Meng.

Just then, something hard slammed into Jack from behind. He stumbled forward, and Zhao Zi grabbed his waist before he could fall. When he straightened, he saw that it had been Tang Yi who had slammed into him as he sprinted towards Officer Meng.

It was a good thing too, because as soon as the man’s hands were pried off of Officer Meng’s neck, his legs gave out. He started sliding down the wall, and he would have landed in a heap on the ground if it wasn’t for Tang Yi catching him.

“Who the hell are you?” the woman who appeared to be in charge asked.

“He’s okay!” Zhao Zi called over to her.

Tang Yi ignored all of that. He looked down at Officer Meng’s slack face and then back up at them. “What’s wrong with him?”

Zhao Zi stepped forward. “He let himself be drugged.”

“He…!” Tang Yi’s arms tightened around Officer Meng. “What did you do, Shao Fei?”

The suspect was in handcuffs and being led to a squad car. His face was twisted into a cold sneer as he walked through the chaos without a backward glance.

“Tang Yi…” Officer Meng’s voice was slurred and weak. “You’re here.”

“Yes,” Tang Yi replied.

The corner of Officer Meng’s lips turned up a moment before he frowned again. “Where are we?” He tried to lift his head from Tang Yi’s shoulder but was stopped by Tang Yi cupping the back of his head and holding him steady. “So tired,” Officer Meng mumbled.

Two emergency workers hurtled around the corner and came rushing down the alley, pushing a gurney between them.

Boss already had one arm braced around Officer Meng’s back. He shoved the other one behind his knees and easily lifted him up and placed him on the gurney.

“Tang Yi.”

Officer Meng grabbed a hold of the boss’s tie. He was barely conscious, so it would have been easy for Tang Yi to free himself. Instead, he allowed Officer Meng to pull him down and give his cheek a sloppy, uncoordinated kiss that was mostly just an open-mouthed press of his lips against skin.

Then his boss, a man Jack had once seen beat someone to death with a pair of brass knuckles, stumbled along beside the gurney, his tie still held loosely in Officer Meng’s hand.

“Jack?” he called.

“On it,” Jack replied, pulling out his cell phone and dialing Jin Tang. The good doctor was not pleased to be woken up at such a late hour, especially when he heard who he’d be helping, but he only complained a little before hanging up on Jack.

By the time the call ended, the only people left in the alley were him and Zhao Zi, who was staring after the gurney with his mouth open wide enough to catch flies.

Jack closed it with one finger under Zhao Zi’s chin and nudged their shoulders together. “You did good recognizing that tattoo, shorty,” he said. “Come on, I’ll drive you to the hospital.”


	3. CHAPTER THREE

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shao Fei leaves the hospital.

“I could kill you, you know that, Ah Fei?”

Shao Fei sighed as he put his shoes on. He was getting discharged from the hospital with nothing more than a bad hangover and some bruises, yet everyone was acting like he went skydiving without a parachute. Tang Yi last night, then the Chief this morning, waking him up by furiously ranting. His team members fussed over him like a child with the flu. And now Hachi was here to get another jab in.

“We got him, didn’t we?” Shao Fei asked.

“I could kill you,” she said again. “I have so many weapons.”

Shao Fei glanced up at her with a grin, and she just rolled her eyes.

“Zhao Zi is taking you back?” she asked.

Zhao Zi stepped forward and nodded. “Yes, Senior Liu.”

“Fine. Then I’m leaving. I have paperwork to file and a killer to interrogate,” Hachi said.

“Because we got him,” Shao Fei added.

“Don’t push it,” she grumbled and left Shao Fei and Zhao Zi alone.

“Are you sure you should be leaving so soon?” Zhao Zi asked.

Shao Fei walked into the bathroom to look in the mirror and try to tame his outrageous hair without a brush.

“It’s not even against the doctor’s orders this time. He’s bringing me discharge papers and everything.” Shao Fei turned on the faucet and cupped his hands under the cool water. He ducked his head and let the water run into his hair.

It helped tame his tangled hair into something slightly more manageable, and he decided that was good enough.

“Should I take you back to your apartment or Tang Yi’s place?” Zhao Zi asked.

“My apartment, I think,” Shao Fei responded after a moment of hesitation. “I’ll sleep this off and then deal with whatever his problem is tomorrow.”

“I bet he was just scared like the rest of us,” Zhao Zi said as he grabbed his satchel and phone from the small visitors’ area in the back of the room.

“Tang Yi?” Shao Fei scoffed. “Scared of what?” That man knew what he was getting into when he showed up at the bar last night. He didn’t seem at all concerned about the risks then, much to Shao Fei’s annoyance.

Zhao Zi settled the strap of his bag across his chest and turned back to face Shao Fei. “Scared for you,” he explained. “You saw how he looked when he was carrying you.”

Shao Fei froze and he reached a hand out to steady himself against the wall. “When he was _what_?” he demanded.

Zhao Zi blinked. “You don’t remember?”

“I was drugged!” Shao Fei shouted.

“Um,” Zhao Zi said, nervously eyeing him. “Maybe you should sit down, Ah Fei.”

“Tang Yi carried me?” Shao Fei repeated, ignoring that advice.

“You passed out for a second, but then you woke up. I guess you still weren’t really conscious,” Zhao Zi said. “Tang Yi put you on the stretcher and then came with you in the ambulance.”

Shao Fei braced his shoulder against the wall and felt his aching head throbbing in time to the frenzied uptick of his heart. “Oh,” he said faintly.

“So I think he was scared,” Zhao Zi said. “Ah Fei, are you okay?”

Shao Fei closed his eyes and desperately tried to recall anything from the night before. After the drugs kicked in, everything was either snatches of memory or gone completely. That explained how Tang Yi was in the room last night when he came to. It hadn’t occurred to him then, as out of it as he was, but it must have been the middle of the night, yet Tang Yi was there.

“Ah Fei?”

“I’m fine. Where’s that quack with my discharge papers?” he asked.

* * *

It took almost another thirty minutes for Doctor Jiang to return and let him go with his customary brand of sarcastic concern and a prescription for pain killers. Zhao Zi pushed Shao Fei in a wheelchair to the front entrance with an attendant following beside them.

Shao Fei couldn’t wait to get home and crash out on his bed until the next morning.

“Wait here and I’ll go grab the car,” Zhao Zi said.

But just as he was about to cross the street, a black town car came to a stop in front of them. The back window rolled down and Tang Yi’s impassive face appeared.

“Get in,” he said.

“Uh…” Shao Fei responded. He looked over at Zhao Zi, who was no help. “Zhao Zi was going to…”

“Get in,” Tang Yi repeated, his eyes narrowing.

Zhao Zi backed away and gestured with his thumb over his shoulder. “I’ll just go then.”

Shao Fei watched him scurry across the street with resignation. “Alright,” he agreed and gingerly pushed himself up out of the chair. He smiled at the attendant who took it back in with her.

The car door opened, and Shao Fei bent down to see Tang Yi moving to the other end of the seat to give him room.

“Thank you,” Shao Fei said as he sat down. The moment his tired and aching body made contact with the soft leather, he sighed and melted into it, turning his head to face Tang Yi.

Tang Yi didn’t look back at him. Instead, he faced forward, posture ramrod straight and his hands folded in his lap. Shao Fei remembered the Tang Yi from the day before, the one who crowded him against the bar and slid a hand under his shirt. This was as far from that Tang Yi as he could get.

The car took off with a jolt, and Shao Fei grimaced when he saw Li Zhi De at the wheel. He let his eyes drift shut as they rumbled along out of the parking lot.

“You can just drop me off at my place,” Shao Fei mumbled.

“No,” Tang Yi replied tersely.

“Hmmm?” Shao Fei asked, blinking away the half doze he’d fallen into.

“No.”

“No, what?” Shao Fei asked.

“We’re going to mine.” Tang Yi still wouldn’t look at him.

“Why? Tang Yi, you can’t think I’ll be able to protect you like this.” Shao Fei gave a weak but genuine laugh. “If anything, you’d have to take care of me.” A yawn forced its way out of Shao Fei. He covered it with his elbow and then said, “Excuse me. Anyway, you see? Just take me home. I’ll be ready to go tomorrow.”

“ _No_ ,” Tang Yi answered, and this time he did turn to look at Shao Fei. The fierce intensity in his eyes and the severe line of his mouth made Shao Fei’s breath catch. He looked _furious_. “Who knows what kind of idiotic mess you’ll get yourself into if you’re left alone again.”

Maybe Zhao Zi had been right, and Tang Yi was scared for Shao Fei. Tentatively, Shao Fei scooted to the middle of the wide seat and reached out to cover Tang Yi’s tightly clasped hands.

“I’m sorry I worried you,” Shao Fei told him.

Tang Yi resumed his rigid stance, staring daggers into the headrest of the seat in front of him. “Who’s worried?” he responded. But while he didn’t return Shao Fei’s touch, he also made no attempt to remove it.

Shao Fei ignored that and continued. “Thank you for your help yesterday.” He squeezed Tang Yi’s hands for emphasis and gave him a small, coaxing smile. “I didn’t mean to scare you.”

Abruptly, the car came to a hard, screeching stop. Shao Fei, who wasn't wearing a seat belt, flew forward, and probably would have ended up hurtling into the front seat if Tang Yi’s arm hadn’t caught him around the waist. As it was, he slammed back into the cushion, rattling his whole body. He clutched his already aching head just as the horn sounded, the loud noise making him hiss in pain.

“Shit,” he gasped.

“ _Li Zhi De_ ,” Tang Yi said in a clipped tone.

“Apologies, Boss,” Li Zhi De responded, sounding, to Shao Fei’s ears, not at all sorry. “Car in front of me slammed on their brakes.”

* * *

The rest of the ride back was uneventful, and by the time they made it through the gate and up the driveway, Shao Fei had nearly fallen asleep again, lulled by the gentle movement of the car.

Li Zhi De opened Tang Yi’s door. Tang Yi grabbed Shao Fei’s bag and slid out without acknowledging the man. Shao Fei smirked at that and was unsurprised when Li Zhi De shut the door before he could follow. With a shake of his head, he got out on the other side. As soon as he stepped away, the car sped off, nearly clipping Shao Fei’s heels.

Shao Fei kicked off his shoes at the door and trudged up the stairs to the guest room. He had his shirt pulled off and his pants unbuttoned as he moved down the hallway. His bag was placed in the middle of the bed. Shao Fei got rid of his pants so he was stripped down to just his boxers. He stayed standing long enough to toss the bag on the floor out of the way, and then he landed face first on the bed with a long, contented groan.

* * *

“Officer Meng. Officer Meng.” Someone shook his arm. “Shao Fei, wake up.”

“Wha…?” Shao Fei opened blurry eyes and turned to see Tang Yi staring down at him. He must have been out a while, because it was dusk outside. The room was a dim blueish-gray in the waning light, and Tang Yi’s face was shrouded in shadow.

“You need to take the pain medication or you’re going to feel even worse in the morning. Come on.”

Shao Fei complied, still half-asleep, and shuffled until his back was against the headboard.

“You picked up my prescription?” he asked.

“I had someone do it,” Tang Yi replied. He dropped two pills into Shao Fei’s left hand and a glass of water into his right.

Shao Fei tossed the pills into his mouth and took a small sip of the water to wash them down. He handed the glass to Tang Yi, but as soon as the cool liquid hit the back of his throat, he realized how thirsty he was.

“Wait,” he said and took the glass back. He gulped the whole thing down and then took a deep breath. “More?” he asked hopefully.

Tang Yi picked up a pitcher from the nightstand and refilled the glass. Shao Fei drank that eagerly as well, feeling a trickle of water miss his mouth and slide down his chin and onto his chest.

It wasn’t until he went to wipe it away that he realized that he was laying on top of the covers, stripped down to only his boxers.

His head whipped to Tang Yi, eyes widening in shock as he struggled to maneuver himself under the blankets and cover his bare chest at the same time. The empty glass slipped from his hand and rolled harmlessly on the carpet.

“Need some help?” Tang Yi asked with a smirk, making no attempt to hide the way his eyes drifted over the whole length of Shao Fei’s body. Then his large, warm hands were on Shao Fei’s hips. Shao Fei froze at the intimate touch, his heart in his throat.

“Tang Yi?” he asked hesitantly.

Tang Yi carefully shifted Shao Fei’s body until the blankets came loose, and Shao Fei was finally able to shove himself beneath them. He pulled the comforter up to his neck and stared at Tang Yi, noticing for the first time that his hair was freshly washed and unstyled, falling gently over his forehead. He’d changed out of the navy pinstriped suit he’d worn earlier and into a thin white sleep shirt and flannel pants. It was the softest that Shao Fei had ever seen him.  
He was _uncomfortably_ aware of how gorgeous Tang Yi was in his expensive clothes and designer accessories, with his perfectly styled hair and shoes that probably cost more than Shao Fei’s rent.

But Tang Yi this way -- without all the flash and artifice, not a cufflink or silk tie in sight -- was like a punch in the stomach. It stole Shao Fei’s breath away.

“Okay,” he said, clutching the blankets close and exhaling out a shaky sigh.

Tang Yi laughed softly and leaned down. He tucked in the blankets around Shao Fei’s body and then pushed the hair out of his eyes.

“Go to sleep, Officer Meng,” he said.

“Right,” Shao Fei responded faintly, staring up at him with wide eyes and his heart thumping in his chest.

* * *

Shao Fei woke up the next morning to a clear head, but a heavily bruised body and a gnawing hunger that reminded him that he hadn’t eaten since the previous morning at the hospital. Two pills and another full glass of water were waiting for him on the nightstand. He took the medicine and drank the water. Then he rolled off the bed, found a pair of sweatpants and a shirt to throw on, and trudged to the bathroom.

After he emptied his bladder, he washed his hands and scrutinized his appearance in the mirror. The worst damage was the purple bruising ringing his neck. His wrist was also tender, probably from being dragged by it. He had dark circles around both eyes, and his face was too pale.

His mouth tasted disgusting, so he brushed his teeth before heading to the kitchen. As soon as he got to the bottom of the stairs, a delicious smell hit him, making his stomach grumble angrily.

He turned the corner and blinked to make sure what he was seeing was real. Tang Yi, still in the sleep clothes he wore the night before, moved around the spacious kitchen with the air of someone who clearly knew what they were doing.

“You can cook?” Shao Fei asked, not hiding his surprise.

“Mmm,” Tang Yi replied.

“I wouldn’t have guessed that.”

Shao Fei gave the plates of food a lingering, jealous glance before walking to the refrigerator and pulling out a container of leftover noodles from some takeaway he’d picked up days ago before the undercover op happened. He took a pair of chopsticks from the drawer and began shoveling the disappointing, cold noodles into his mouth. He turned around, intending to leave the kitchen and get out of the way, only to see Tang Yi watching him with a raised eyebrow.

“What?” Shao Fei asked defensively. “I’m really hungry.” He took another bite to prove his point.

“Is my food not good enough?” Tang Yi asked.

Shao Fei swallowed and pointed his chopsticks at the table. “You mean I can have some?”

“I didn’t make this all for myself, did I?” Tang Yi asked. The look he shot him said he thought Shao Fei was an idiot.

“Well, how was I supposed to know?” Shao Fei responded, but wasted no time grabbing a plate and piling it high. “Oh, is this minced pork?” he asked. Tang Yi nodded and Shao Fei scooped some into his mouth, moaning at how good it tasted. “So much better than my noodles.”

Tang Yi sat across from him and leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms over his chest. “Those noodles have been in the refrigerator for a week,” he said.

“So?” Shao Fei asked as he dug into an omelet.

Tang Yi just shook his head and pushed a cup of warm soy milk towards him. Shao Fei took a sip of it and then snatched a few fried dumplings as well.

“Aren’t you going to eat?” he asked when Tang Yi continued to watch him.

Tang Yi responded by taking a measured sip from his tea cup and then capturing a dumpling with his chopsticks and biting into it.

“Hey,” Shao Fei said, suddenly recalling his annoyance from a few nights before, “why did you show up at that bar anyway? Didn’t I tell you not to do anything dangerous while I was gone?”

“You’re in no position to complain about that,” Tang Yi responded curtly

“Don’t turn this around on me,” Shao Fei said. “I’m a police officer. It’s my job to do dangerous things. Plus I had my team there to help me.”

“And how did those teammates feel about what you did?” Tang Yi asked.

Shao Fei flinched as he remembered the dressing down he’d received from his hospital bed.

“Well?” Tang Yi prodded, looking like he knew he won.

“We caught him, didn’t we?” Shao Fei responded, skirting over the question. “One more scumbag is off the street.”

Tang Yi’s chopsticks clattered onto his plate, and he wiped his hands on a napkin.

“And I suppose that’s all that matters to the honorable Officer Meng, even if it means risking his own life in the stupidest way possible,” he said and made as if to stand up.

Shao Fei’s hand shot out, hovering in the air to stop him. “Tang Yi, Tang Yi. Please, let’s not fight. Come on, sit down, have some fried dough.”

Slowly, Tang Yi relaxed back into his chair and took a bite of the cruller. “Do you like the food?” he asked when he finished chewing.

Shao Fei nodded enthusiastically, happy for the peace offering, and stuffed more egg into his mouth. “Mmhm,” he mumbled and washed it down with another sip of milk. “It’s great, especially the omelet. I still can’t believe you made all this. I can’t cook at all. My last boyfriend would always…” He trailed off awkwardly, realizing mid-sentence the personal information he was about to give away.

“Yes?” Tang Yi prompted over the edge of his tea cup.

“Ahh…” Shao Fei gave a weak laugh and waved his spoon as if to push away the question. “Nothing.”

“Could Wang Jiro cook then?” Tang Yi asked with a smirk, making Shao Fei choke on a dumpling and drop his spoon.

“How do you know his name?” Shao Fei demanded when he stopped coughing.

“Officer Meng, you’ve been stalking me for four years. Did you really think I didn’t do my own research in return?” Tang Yi raised his teapot and refilled his cup as he waited for Shao Fei to be done gaping.

He should have. He definitely should have, but it never even occurred to him.

“ _Investigating_ you,” Shao Fei muttered and then grudgingly said, “He thought he could.”

Tang Yi raised an inquisitive eyebrow and Shao Fei elaborated. “Jiro. He thought he could cook, but he was terrible at it, and I had to pretend to like everything he made or he would get so offended.”

“I see,” Tang Yi replied with a smug quirk of his lips.

Shao Fei narrowed his eyes at him. “What is that look for?”

“What look?” Tang Yi asked innocently. “Could he boil noodles at least?”

“Barely,” Shao Fei answered. “But he burned rice every time he tried to make it.” Shao Fei covered his mouth as he broke down in laughter. “Once he cooked fish balls and had rice to go with it. Oh, Tang Yi, the smell alone. I faked stomach problems and then picked up food on my way home.”

His eyes watered with tears of mirth as he remembered the pungent odor of badly cooked fish and charred rice and his desperate attempts to escape without being forced to eat anything. He swiped at them with the back of his hand as he got control of himself.

“Here, finish the dumplings,” Tang Yi said as Shao Fei’s laughter tailed off. He placed the last three on Shao Fei’s plate.

“Thank you,” Shao Fei replied and drained his glass of soy milk. One dumpling was halfway to his mouth when his brain processed that. He looked up sharply to see Tang Yi sitting straight in his chair, his hands folded in his lap, and his expression deeply satisfied as he watched Shao Fei. “Wait…”

“Eat,” Tang Yi said. “There’s no point in cold dumplings.”

For want of anything else to do, Shao Fei bent over and focused on clearing his plate to hide how flustered he felt. After several silent minutes, he held up his empty cup.

“I’m going to get more milk.”

Tang Yi nodded towards the pot on the stove. Shao Fei filled his cup and as he walked back, he paused and watched as Tang Yi yawned and scratched at his bare forearm absently. Once again, Shao Fei was struck by how different Tang Yi looked with his pajamas and loose hair.

“What?” Tang Yi asked, and Shao Fei realized he’d been staring.

“Nothing,” he said. “I’ve just never seen you look so _normal_ before. I guess I thought you slept in a suit.”

Tang Yi let out a small huff of laughter as he gazed up at Shao Fei standing in front of him. Shao Fei placed his cup on the table and turned back to him.

“And your hair…” he said.

“Yes?”

“It’s…” Shao Fei bit his lip and reached out to run his fingers through the strands that fell onto Tang Yi’s forehead. “It’s nice,” he admitted. “I think I like it better this way.”

Without warning, Tang Yi’s arms locked around Shao Fei’s waist and dragged him close.

“And I liked you better the way you were last night,” he replied with a suggestive wag of his eyebrows. Shao Fei gasped as Tang Yi’s hands slid under the hem of his shirt. Tang Yi grinned and said in a low voice, “Wait, let me check to make sure.”

He edged the shirt up slowly, placing soft, teasing kisses on each newly exposed centimeter of skin from Shao Fei’s bellybutton to his chest, sending shivers of pleasure zipping down his spine.

Tang Yi pulled back and took in the view. “Mm, yes. You’re much less annoying like this.” He didn’t give Shao Fei a chance to react to that cheeky backhanded compliment, diving in and taking one nipple between his lips. Shao Fei's hips jerked, and he shoved his hands into Tang Yi’s hair and pulled Tang Yi's head back and away from him.

“Shit!” he cried. His shirt was rucked up under his armpits, held in place by Tang Yi, and a quick glance down confirmed that his chest was stained a dark red. “I…” His throat creaked and he swallowed and tried again. “I…”

Clearly sensing weakness, Tang Yi slid one hand down and used his thumb and index finger on Shao Fei’s nipple instead, rolling over it and flicking the peak. Shao Fei panted, mouth dropping open with pleasure, his eyes transfixed on the gentle motion of Tang Yi’s fingers.

“Shit,” he whispered again.

Dipping his head, Tang Yi met Shao Fei’s gaze.

“The other one too?” he asked in that low, hypnotic voice and didn’t wait for an answer before he brought his free hand down to give Shao Fei’s other nipple the same gentle treatment.

Shao Fei released Tang Yi’s head to clutch at his shoulders, fingers digging in and holding on. Tang Yi wasted no time, diving in with his lips on the hinge of Shao Fei’s jaw, his chin, and then finally his mouth. Shao Fei opened up immediately and let him in, enjoying the warm rush of arousal that came along with the wet slide of their tongues.

“Boss! What…!”

Shao Fei jerked away at the unexpected voices. It was Li Zhi De, his face twisted into a horrified grimace, and Jack, who appeared as unaffected as ever.

Shao Fei tried to stand up and put some space between them, but Tang Yi locked his arms around his waist and refused to let him budge.

“Leave,” Tang Yi commanded without sparing them so much as a glance.

“No, you can’t -- “ Li Zhi De began before getting cut off by Jack throwing an arm around his neck and dragging him away with a friendly smile.

“We’ll get out of your hair, Boss. Have a good time.”

When they left, Shao Fei dropped his forehead to Tang Yi’s shoulder and laughed weakly.

“Bedroom,” Tang Yi said, helping them both to their feet. Shao Fei’s knees felt like they were made out of water, but he refused to give Tang Yi the satisfaction of showing it. Apparently he didn't move quickly enough, though, because before he knew what happened, he was upside down, dangling over Tang Yi's shoulder and getting carried up the stairs.

"Tang Yi!" Shao Fei shouted as he clutched the back of his shirt. "Tang Yi! Put me down!"

**Author's Note:**

> Consider this blanket permission to use this story for any remix, podfic, translation, fanart or other transformative work you'd like, but please inform me, credit me and provide me any links so that I can include it in the notes.
> 
> Join me on [tumblr](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/theres-a-goldensky)!


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